The Arsenal captain controversially reacted to supporters on Sunday.
The Gunners captain is under scrutiny after appearing to react to unhappy supporters when he was being substituted off against Crystal Palace.
Storming down the tunnel, he’s not represented himself or his club well and there’s now a possibility he could be stripped of the captaincy.
For Nicholas the issue goes beyond that. Not only does he not think Xhaka should wear the armband, he has concerns about the player ever pulling on an Arsenal jersey again.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the pundit said: “I think the bosses at Arsenal, and not just Unai Emery, are probably looking at this and thinking what is Arsenal meant to be? It’s got a great history, it’s got some fabulous players but if it doesn’t have the crowd it doesn’t have a soul, it doesn’t have a heartbeat.
“The crowd will always be the element of the football club and they are bigger and better than anyone else who’s involved in it, so he’ll have to take his medicine.
“I’ll be surprised if he comes back in any capacity to play for Arsenal again.”
Is there a way back for Xhaka?
Pundits and former players have panned Xhaka in the wake of Sunday’s match. Nicholas isn’t the only one questioning his future.
It seems right now though that the Swiss international, who signed for the club for a reported fee of £35m (BBC), at least has the support of his club teammates, which could go a long way towards determining his future at the club.
If they’re backing him along with Emery then it might not even be too long until he’s see in an Arsenal shirt again.
Clearly discussions will be taking place this week about to handle the situation behind the scenes and how to best communicate to fans it’ll all be sorted out in a positive manner.
Nicholas is right in one respect though, fans will ultimately determine whether he’ll be accepted moving forward. Xhaka had a lot to prove even before Sunday’s incident. Now he has an uphill battle to convince supporters he’s worthy as an Arsenal player.
It’s a fluid situation right now, but perhaps we’ll know more when Emery addresses the media this week.
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